UX research with distance learners

In order to avoid restricting the Open University Library's User Experience research to those students who happen to live within easy travelling distance of our Milton Keynes campus, we conduct as much UX as possible remotely online. This chapter talks about some of the methods we have used

Everyone’s a Critic: Defamation and Anonymity on the Internet

Internet publishing is easy and has become commonplace in ourtechnology-focused society. Although this type of publication can beexciting and helpful for those interested in communicating an idea, theissue of anonymous speech on the Internet has created some complications in the rather established tort of defamation. This article will discuss two approaches recently taken by two different courts in response to the Internet-anonymity issue and will evaluate them based on their ability to strike a balance between protecting free speech and protecting against defamation

Performance and Safety Characteristics of Lithium-molybdenum Disulfide Cells

The lithium-molybdenum disulfide system offers attractive characteristics including high rate capability, successful operation up to 75 C, a very low self-discharge rate, a good cycle life and safety characteristics which compare favorably to those of other lithium cells. Moreover, the materials and manufacturing costs for the system is effectively controlled, so the cells should ultimately be competitive with currently marketed rechargeable cells

A numerical method to solve the Boltzmann equation for a spin valve

We present a numerical algorithm to solve the Boltzmann equation for the electron distribution function in magnetic multilayer heterostructures with non-collinear magnetizations. The solution is based on a scattering matrix formalism for layers that are translationally invariant in plane so that properties only vary perpendicular to the planes. Physical quantities like spin density, spin current, and spin-transfer torque are calculated directly from the distribution function. We illustrate our solution method with a systematic study of the spin-transfer torque in a spin valve as a function of its geometry. The results agree with a hybrid circuit theory developed by Slonczewski for geometries typical of those measured experimentally.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure

Ab initio studies of the spin-transfer torque in tunnel junctions

We calculate the spin-transfer torque in Fe/MgO/Fe tunnel junctions and compare the results to those for all-metallic junctions. We show that the spin-transfer torque is interfacial in the ferromagnetic layer to a greater degree than in all-metallic junctions. This result originates in the half metallic behavior of Fe for the $\Delta_1$ states at the Brillouin zone center; in contrast to all-metallic structures, dephasing does not play an important role. We further show that it is possible to get a component of the torque that is out of the plane of the magnetizations and that is linear in the bias. However, observation of such a torque requires highly ideal samples. In samples with typical interfacial roughness, the torque is similar to that in all-metallic multilayers, although for different reasons.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure